Baseball base



Aug. 6, 1946.

BASEBALL BASE Filed oct. 2o, 1944 J. P. COREE-r1' ivi:

. INVENTOR Jay/V ,Q 5625577 l BY rrqeA/Y Patented Aug. 6, 1946 BASEBALL BASE John P. Corbett, Van Nuys, Calif.

Application October 20, 1944, Serial No. 559,605

2 Claims.

This invention relates to amusement devices and games, and more particularly to an improvement in bases of the type used in the game of baseball.

An object of my invention is to provide a base suitable for use as a station marker in baseball and other games and so constructed as to offer advantages of superiority in respect of economy, appearance and safety as compared with more conventional bases of the same general type.

A more detailed object of the present invention is to provide a baseball base which, instead of being in the form of a cushion stuffed with padding material and having a fabric cover, comprises a body portion of rigid material, preferably metal, and covered with a layer of cushioning material, preferably permanently attached to the rigid foundation portion and over which a cover of suitable fabric is stretched and removably anchored so as to permit expeditious and economical replacement of the cover when damaged to such an extent as to make its repair impractical.

Another object is to provide means for anchoring the base with great accuracy in the position with respect to the base lines of a baseball diamond required by the rules, and with such se curity as to eliminate all danger of its becoming dislodged from that position during the course of a game.

A still further object is to provide anchoring means for a baseball base as described which are releasable so that the base can be removed between games and stored in a safe place and thereby facilitate servicing of the grounds.

The invention possesses other objects and valuable features, some of which, with those enumerated, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated inthe drawing accompanying and forming a part of the specification. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the showing made by said drawing and description but that I may adopt variations of the preferred form within the scope of my invention as defined by the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective View showing a baseball base incorporating the principles of the present invention installed in proper operative position with respect to the base lines of a baseball,

diamond as required by contemporary professional rules.

Figure 2 is a ver-tical sectional view taken through the base of Figure 1 and the adjacent 2. portion of the ground upon which it rests to show the manner of its being secured in operative position.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view, the plane of section being indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and the direction of view by the arrows.

The-bases now conventionally used as station markers in the game of baseball are constructed according to quite exacting specifications in respect of shape, size, and weight, and even more particularly in respect of the exact location of the base with relation to the base lines of the baseball diamond. However, in order to minimize danger of injury to players, it has been customary to make the bases in the form of cushions, i. an envelope filled with suitable stuffing or padding material, with the result that it has been quite diicult and deiinitely expensive to construct the bases in such a manner that they would hold their shape within reasonable limits and thus make it possible to comply with the rules of professional baseball. Moreover, the rules of professional baseball require that the bases be covered with a light-colored material such as white canvas or duck, and that it be kept in a clean condition to enhance the visibility of the bases. However, owing to the hard usage to which .the bases are subjected by being stepped upon frequently by both the base runners and the iielders, not only is it quite diicult to keep the bases clean, but their covers are frequently torn by the players spiked or cleated shoes. Indeed, it is quite the usual thing for the outer cover of a base to become so soiled, torn, or otherwise damaged as to unt the base for further use and to require replacement while the more expensive portion of the base, i. e., the body or cushion portion, is still in quite satisfactory condition.

In terms of bread inclusion, the present invention contemplates the provision of a base for use in baseball and/or similar games, the outer cover of which is removable, thereby permitting facile laundering or repair of the `cover and economical replacement of the cover when the necessity arises, and Ithus avoiding the expense of discarding the body of the base only because its cover has become damaged or soiled. In order to increase the ability of the base to hold-its shape and size within exact limits as compared with more conventionally constructed bases, the base of the present invention is formed upon a suitable body portion of rigid material, such as metal, while an adequate degree of resilience is imparted to the base by covering the body portion with a layer of cushioning material, all of which is enclosed within the removable cover. Means are .provided for anchoring the base exactly in predetermined position upon the playing ground so as -to prevent its becoming dislodged as by being kicked out of position, and the anchoring means are readily releasable so as to permit the bases to be collected at the end of the game and stored in a suitable safe place and thereby facilitate proper servicing of the grounds.

Specifically describing the base of my present invention in its preferred embodiment, the figures illustrate the base as comprising a body portion 6 in the form of a hollow, inverted shell 1 composed of suitable rigid material such as aluminum. In order to impart sufiicient rigidity to the shell 1, it is preferred that instead of being made of sheet material, the metal of which the shell 1 is composed be cast, this method of manufacture being particularly desirable in the present instance because it facilitates its being formed with a post 8 integral therewith and extending vertically downwards from preferably the central portion of the under side of the shell 1. This post 8 is of noncircular cross-sectional configuration, preferably square, and is adapted to be removably received within a socket El firmly and preferably permanently embedded Within the ground H, the surface of which constitutes the playing eld upon which the baseball diamond is delineated. In its preferable form the socket 9 comprises a hollow column l2 of suitable length, the boreof which is adapted to receive the post 8 therein, the fit between the two preferably being suiiiciently nice to assure retention of the base in predetermined position with respect to the base line i3 of the diamond and yet permit facile removal of the base by pulling the post 8 upward out ofthe upper end of the column I2. The lower end of the column l2 preferably is secured to a suitable foundation l which may be in the form of one or more horizontal beams i5 buried at sufficient depth below the surface of the ground H to impart extreme rigidity to the entire socket structure. A flange l1 extending horizontally outwards from the upper end of the column i2 facilitates the mounting of a hinge i8 whereby a cover I9 for the upper end of the column I2 can be pivotally secured in such position that when the base is in operating position as illustrated in. Figure 2, the cover i9 may be swung upward and yet be completely concealed within the hollow interior of the shell 1. After removal of the base, however, the cover i9 canV be swung downward to provide an effective closure for the otherwise open upper end of the column l2' to exclude dirt, water, and the like.

The shell 1 comprises a top portion 2S substantially square in plan and slightly domed, as clearly Ashown in Figure 2, so that the final assembled base has'a definite cushion shape, as clearly shown in Figure 1. Side walls 21 extend downwards from each edge of the top 26: and preferably each side wall 21 is provided with a groove 28 in its inner surface spaced upwards slightly from the lower edge of the wall.

vsuperimposed upon the upper surface of the top 4 26 and upon the outer surfaces of the side walls 21 is a layer 29 of resilient cushioning material, preferably sponge rubber of sufficient thickness and having a suiiciently soft texture to insure that the final, completed base will be amply soft and resilient to oifer the necessary degree of protection to players, even though the body portion 6 of the base is of rigid construction.

rlhe entire outer surface of the layer 29 and cushioning material is enclosed Within a cover 3| of suitable fabric, preferably duck or canvas. This cover 3l is fashioned to provide a top portion 32 and side Walls 33 depending therefrom, the side walls 33 being attached to each other at their ends so as to provide an enclosed envelope for the body portion and cushioning material of the base, devoid of exposed edges in which a players spikes or cleats otherwise might become entangled. Each of the side portions 33 of the cover 3l is considerably wider than the side walls 21 which they are intended to cover, thus leaving a portion 3G of excess width adapted to extend around the lower edge of the associated side walls and upwards within the hollow interior of the shell 1 beyond the groove 28. A snap ring 36 of suitable resilient material presses these portions 3l of the cover into the groove 28, thus rrnly and yet releasably anchoring the cover 3! in position upon the base.

In order to cause the base to have an exterior appearance closely resembling that of bases more conventionally constructed, I prefer that the top portion 32 of the cover be quilted as by lines of stitching 31.

I claim:

l. In a baseball base, a substantially rigid shell comprising a top and side walls extending downwards from the edges thereof,releasable means for anchoring said shell accurately in predetermined position, a layer of cushioning material superimposed on said shell, a fabric cover disposed upon said layer of cushioning material and extending downward around the lower edges of said side Walls, and releasable means contained within the hollow interior of said shell for fastening said cover upon said shell.

2. A baseball base comprising a rigid hollow body portion, a layer of cushioning material on said body portion, a cover fitted over said body portion and said cushioning material, the edges of said cover extending downward past the sides of said body portion, around their lower edges and upward into the interior of said body portion, releasable means securing said edges of said cover to the interior of saidbody portion, and means for anchoring said base in operative position comprising a socket of noncircular cross section embedded in predetermined position in the ground, means associated with said socket for rigidly reinforcing said socket against displacement from its predetermined position whereby the substantial exactitude of the location of said base is preserved, and a post complementary in cross section to said socket rigid with said body portion extending downward from the under side thereof and removably receivable within said socket.

JOHN P. CORBETT. 

